Post by huronna on Oct 25, 2008 8:00:39 GMT -5
FERRET EARS!
by Crazy Lady
I would like to share with everyone a series of posts on my observations of different parts of a ferret, beginning with the ears.
When you look at your ferret's ears, what do you see? Two cute little ears standing to attention? Wrong! What you are looking at is a miracle of nature! Nature designed the ferret's ears in a perfect way. Before looking inside the ears, look at the whole ear. Mother nature gave this perfect little hearing tool a cute protection of half-drawn curtains! The fur on the outer ear protects against heat and cold, and at the base of the ear as you look into your ferret's ears, you will see fine hairs from the head growing upwards to shield the ear against dust. Ferrets have exceptional hearing. They have a vast range of sounds they can pick up on. At the lower end of the scale their hearing is like a cat's, but at the higher range it is like that of a dog (remember those dog whistles we can't hear...a ferret can! lol). A ferret's ear is made up of three parts; the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear is that cute part, you can see all of the ear where it joins the skull and the ear canal. This is normally the part of the ear where problems are noticed (we will talk about those as the post progresses). The middle ear begins with the ear drum. Attached to the ear drum are small tubes which run down and join up with the nasal system (which is why ferrets who get colds often get ear infections too!). The middle ear also has small bones which send vibrations down into the inner ear. The inner ear is the most important part of the ear, it could be described as the control center of sound. It receives sounds from the middle ear and transmits them to the brain. If your ferret was to get an infection in this part of the ear, it would appear drunk, or if the inner ear became seriously damaged, deafness could occur. A lot of people believe ferrets can hear from birth, this is not so. A baby ferret is born technically deaf until the age of 30 -32 days, then the ear canal opens and they can hear sound for the first time. Mother nature has catered for this as when a jill is feeding her kits her hearing awareness increases, her hearing tunes into the higher than normal pitch squeek of her young.she does infact become a ferret radar and can detect the distance and position of each kit just by there squeek. By the age of six weeks kits have the normal hearing ability of an adult. Although ferrets have excellent hearing, they also are very good at turning it off, especially when owners want to find them lol. Ferrets produce ear wax to lubricate and protect the ear from infection. This can vary from ferret to ferret in colour,
some produce a light brown wax while in others it may be dark brown orange or reddish, looking just like human's. Every ferret is different and just as in human ears, a build up of too much wax can cause problems, so it's wise to gently clean ears every 2 weeks or so. A lot of people have different ways of cleaning out excess wax. My own personal way is simply to add a few drips of warm olive oil into the ear and massage well, I leave over night(to allow the oil to sink well down and loosen any hard wax). The following day I take a piece of cotton wool soaked in warm olive oil and gently clean the outer ear (I do not use cotton buds and dig into the inner ear as this can cause damage to the middle ear or push any wax down into the inner ear causing infection and possible rupturing of the inner ear). I then take a dry piece of cotton wool and gently dry the outer ear (using two seperate pieces for each ear). I repeat this process once again the following day, ensuring any more wax that has surfaced naturally has been removed. Then cleaning ears, I look carefully at any wax that surfaces, as really dark or black wax or wax that smells strongly can be a sign that a ferret has ear mites. If your ferret does have ear mites, this does not indicate that it has not been looked after correctly. Ear mites can easily be caught from cats, dogs or even another ferret while at a vet visit!
But all pets in the home must be treated, so if your ferret does get mites and you have cats or dogs, remember to treat them too or the cycle will be never ending. Another indication of ear mites is your ferret may scratch at his ears or begin rubbing them along the floor. In severe cases, the ferret's head may tilt to one side. Ear mites are not something you wish to treat later, if they are detected it's important that they be treated as soon as possible as they can cause severe infections in the middle and inner ear and can burst the ear drum. If there is a severe infestation, the mites will even come out of the ears and burrow into the skin on a ferret's body, causing infections to occur on the body. Ear mites can easily be treated with drops from a vet. They normally recommend a treatment of 14 days, (although 21 is better to ensure you have broken the cycle of egg, larvae, nymph, adult). There are other problems that can occur with the ears, often yeast infections and other infections are mistaken for mites. If your ferret's ears become swollen, sore or have an unusual discharge, it's better to have your vet take a look, as they can determine what type of infection it is and if a topical cream is needed or if it's best to use an antibioctic. Often groups of ferrets clean each others ears, this is not just a loving gesture, ear cleaning can be a way of showing dominance or discipline. Often jills pin down kits and clean ears to show them they are still in charge, or they will stop what they are doing. Young kits in groups also practice this too to determine who is head kit. Often it can become aggressive and biting takes place which can result in cauliflower ears, blood vessels burst and cartlidge does not heal correctly resulting in crinkled ears.
I cannot end this post without mentioning deaf ferrets. Deaf ferrets in my view should be treated as any other ferret, they still require ear cleaning, mite treatment, ect. just as a hearing ferret does. The only differences that should be made for a deaf ferret is how we approach them. A ferret who cannot hear an owner approach or is startled, will bite; its first reaction is to defend itself. Deaf ferrets can live normal happy lives with love, care and understanding and clean ears! lol
take care bye for now ------ crazy lady
by Crazy Lady
I would like to share with everyone a series of posts on my observations of different parts of a ferret, beginning with the ears.
When you look at your ferret's ears, what do you see? Two cute little ears standing to attention? Wrong! What you are looking at is a miracle of nature! Nature designed the ferret's ears in a perfect way. Before looking inside the ears, look at the whole ear. Mother nature gave this perfect little hearing tool a cute protection of half-drawn curtains! The fur on the outer ear protects against heat and cold, and at the base of the ear as you look into your ferret's ears, you will see fine hairs from the head growing upwards to shield the ear against dust. Ferrets have exceptional hearing. They have a vast range of sounds they can pick up on. At the lower end of the scale their hearing is like a cat's, but at the higher range it is like that of a dog (remember those dog whistles we can't hear...a ferret can! lol). A ferret's ear is made up of three parts; the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear is that cute part, you can see all of the ear where it joins the skull and the ear canal. This is normally the part of the ear where problems are noticed (we will talk about those as the post progresses). The middle ear begins with the ear drum. Attached to the ear drum are small tubes which run down and join up with the nasal system (which is why ferrets who get colds often get ear infections too!). The middle ear also has small bones which send vibrations down into the inner ear. The inner ear is the most important part of the ear, it could be described as the control center of sound. It receives sounds from the middle ear and transmits them to the brain. If your ferret was to get an infection in this part of the ear, it would appear drunk, or if the inner ear became seriously damaged, deafness could occur. A lot of people believe ferrets can hear from birth, this is not so. A baby ferret is born technically deaf until the age of 30 -32 days, then the ear canal opens and they can hear sound for the first time. Mother nature has catered for this as when a jill is feeding her kits her hearing awareness increases, her hearing tunes into the higher than normal pitch squeek of her young.she does infact become a ferret radar and can detect the distance and position of each kit just by there squeek. By the age of six weeks kits have the normal hearing ability of an adult. Although ferrets have excellent hearing, they also are very good at turning it off, especially when owners want to find them lol. Ferrets produce ear wax to lubricate and protect the ear from infection. This can vary from ferret to ferret in colour,
some produce a light brown wax while in others it may be dark brown orange or reddish, looking just like human's. Every ferret is different and just as in human ears, a build up of too much wax can cause problems, so it's wise to gently clean ears every 2 weeks or so. A lot of people have different ways of cleaning out excess wax. My own personal way is simply to add a few drips of warm olive oil into the ear and massage well, I leave over night(to allow the oil to sink well down and loosen any hard wax). The following day I take a piece of cotton wool soaked in warm olive oil and gently clean the outer ear (I do not use cotton buds and dig into the inner ear as this can cause damage to the middle ear or push any wax down into the inner ear causing infection and possible rupturing of the inner ear). I then take a dry piece of cotton wool and gently dry the outer ear (using two seperate pieces for each ear). I repeat this process once again the following day, ensuring any more wax that has surfaced naturally has been removed. Then cleaning ears, I look carefully at any wax that surfaces, as really dark or black wax or wax that smells strongly can be a sign that a ferret has ear mites. If your ferret does have ear mites, this does not indicate that it has not been looked after correctly. Ear mites can easily be caught from cats, dogs or even another ferret while at a vet visit!
But all pets in the home must be treated, so if your ferret does get mites and you have cats or dogs, remember to treat them too or the cycle will be never ending. Another indication of ear mites is your ferret may scratch at his ears or begin rubbing them along the floor. In severe cases, the ferret's head may tilt to one side. Ear mites are not something you wish to treat later, if they are detected it's important that they be treated as soon as possible as they can cause severe infections in the middle and inner ear and can burst the ear drum. If there is a severe infestation, the mites will even come out of the ears and burrow into the skin on a ferret's body, causing infections to occur on the body. Ear mites can easily be treated with drops from a vet. They normally recommend a treatment of 14 days, (although 21 is better to ensure you have broken the cycle of egg, larvae, nymph, adult). There are other problems that can occur with the ears, often yeast infections and other infections are mistaken for mites. If your ferret's ears become swollen, sore or have an unusual discharge, it's better to have your vet take a look, as they can determine what type of infection it is and if a topical cream is needed or if it's best to use an antibioctic. Often groups of ferrets clean each others ears, this is not just a loving gesture, ear cleaning can be a way of showing dominance or discipline. Often jills pin down kits and clean ears to show them they are still in charge, or they will stop what they are doing. Young kits in groups also practice this too to determine who is head kit. Often it can become aggressive and biting takes place which can result in cauliflower ears, blood vessels burst and cartlidge does not heal correctly resulting in crinkled ears.
I cannot end this post without mentioning deaf ferrets. Deaf ferrets in my view should be treated as any other ferret, they still require ear cleaning, mite treatment, ect. just as a hearing ferret does. The only differences that should be made for a deaf ferret is how we approach them. A ferret who cannot hear an owner approach or is startled, will bite; its first reaction is to defend itself. Deaf ferrets can live normal happy lives with love, care and understanding and clean ears! lol
take care bye for now ------ crazy lady
